Risks & Complications

Mr Stephen Salerno is a highly qualified and experienced surgeon and he uses a team of trusted and certified medical professionals for his surgeries to ensure the safety and well-being of his clients.

Even with the highest standards of care, all surgeries have a degree of risk so it is sensible as part of your decision-making to understand the risks and possible complications.

When you meet with Stephen, he will discuss the risks specific to your procedure. If you have any questions about the risks and potential complications of your procedure, Stephen and his team are happy to help.

These complications can occur with any type of surgery and are not specific to just plastic surgery. Essentially any one that undergoes any type of procedure is subject to these complications and it can be under general anaesthetic, local anaesthetic and sedation or local anaesthetic only.

These include:

Anaesthetic complications like breathing difficulties, heart problems or allergic reactions to medications given in the anaesthetic

Scarring: this will be discussed in detail in the consultation with diagrams and photos

Scar hypertrophy or keloids – thick obvious presence of the scar and can sometimes be very painful;

Decreased nipple-areolar sensation

Necrosis of nipple, skin and fat. Necrosis means death of tissue due to a poor blood supply and this may be evident a the time of surgery or a couple of days later. If the nipple or areolar dies then this will be replaced with a skin graft or if allowed to heal of its own accord it will be replaced with white to pick scar tissue and the colour of the nipple-areola will be lost.

Asymmetry

Seroma

Pain

Decreases ability to breast feed

Recurrent ptosis or droopiness of the breast with time

Reaction to sutures and stitch abscess

Cyst formation

Mondors Disease: a rare condition of inflammation along scar associated with surgery

Haematoma which is a collection of blood in the area where the tissue has been removed from

Drains depending on the extent of the removal of tissue

Skin necrosis (death) when too much skin and fat is removed

Fat necrosis (death) again f too much fat is removed and the blood supply significantly reduced

Scar. If liposuction then several small sub centimetre incisions and scars on the chest wall on each side and if done with open incision then usually a scar around the lower half of the nipple to remove the breast tissue from.

Asymmetry

If extensive liposuction then can have cannula tunnels visible and tethering of the skin to the chest wall

Numbness of the skin especially around the areas that have been operated on. For example with an arm reduction the inside of the arms can feel numb and with a thigh reduction the inside and front of the thigh can feel numb.

Seroma collection of fluid underneath the skin flaps. This is the most common complication.

Skin necrosis (death) when too much skin and fat is removed

Fat necrosis (death) again of too much fat is removed and the blood supply significantly reduced

Scar will be discussed in detail and shown on diagrams. Most scars settle well however can sometimes be enlarged or stretched and hypertrophied. Rarely they can keloid and also become painful

Asymmetry. Uneven flaps of skin and fat on the sites operated.

Nerve injury around the flanks and lower abdomen, arms and thighs

Drains will be placed, usually 2, and can be in place for several days to 7-10 days.

Dog ears which are excess skin at the edges of the scar around the hips, which can be modified at a revision procedure if needed.

With lower limb and upper limb contouring surgery, when operating in deeper planes of tissue lymphoedema can occur which is permanent swelling in the tissues. A more rare complication